Fighting for True Love
by Kristen3
Summary: Set in "Lily." After Rumpelstiltskin has returned her missing heart, Belle must find a way to say goodbye to Will Scarlet. Can she make him see that true love is worth fighting for, no matter the risks? One-shot.


**Author's Note:** Thanks to Leigh Ann ( **leighann415** ) for reading this and encouraging me to post it. :) I haven't seen much of _Once Upon a Time in Wonderland_ , so I'm not 100% about Will's backstory. I hope I've written him well here! Please review!

Belle stood frozen for a moment, staring at the spot where Rumpelstiltskin had walked out of his shop. Instinctively, she put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating there. How had she not realized it was gone?

"Belle?"

Will's voice made her turn back around. The look on his face tore at her newly-restored heart. She knew what she needed to do now, but it wouldn't be easy. "Will, we've got to talk."

Will hung his head. "Whenever a woman says that, a bloke knows he's in trouble."

Belle took his hands in hers. "These few weeks have been wonderful. You've made me laugh. I wasn't sure if that would ever be possible again, after..."

"After Rumpelstiltskin lied to you and broke your heart," Will finished.

"Yes. It was nice to be with someone who simply wanted to be with me. Being with you is so much _simpler_."

"Normally, I don't take well to folks who call me simple, but I think, in this case, I'll take it as a compliment!" Will grinned.

Suddenly, Belle leaned over kissing his cheek. "I want to thank you," she said. "You were there for me when I needed someone the most. But..."

"'But.' There's another one of those words that spells trouble," Will said. "I can see you're trying to lead up to something. You can quit beating around the bush, Belle. Whatever it is you've got to say, I can take it."

Belle nodded. Back in the Enchanted Forest, people always underestimated her, and now she was doing the same to Will. "Now that I've got my heart back, I'm noticing things. You don't know Rumple. Not like I do. If you did, you'd see there's more to him than this. He used to be different. There's good in him."

"There may have been good in him once, but I bloody well think it's gone by now!"

"I thought that, too," Belle admitted. "But he gave my heat back. He didn't have to do that. Regina's had it all this time, and I never even knew. But Rumple did. Despite everything, all of his evil, there's still a spark of good. And as long as that's true, I have to fight for him."

"You mean you're dumping me for the Dark One?" Will asked in shock.

"I'm sorry, Will," Belle said, feeling tears in her eyes. "Rumpelstiltskin is the first man I've ever loved. I once gave up everything to be with him. Even after I saw what he was, I still stayed. No matter how angry he got, or how he tried to hurt me, I could see he was still in there somewhere. I can't give up on him."

Will suddenly thought of Robin Hood, and how he refused to give up on his love, even though they faced a major obstacle. "Being with Rumpelstiltskin is your happy ending, then?"

Belle nodded. "I think so. I know it doesn't make sense. Our love never has. But it's real. I've seen Rumple fight the darkness before. He can win, but the darkness is strong. He needs help, and I'm the only one who can help him now."

"Well, I suppose if that's what makes you happy, you should go and do it then. Robin's busy chasing after the Evil Queen. I think he's bloody out of his mind, too. But love does that to you. It makes you do things you'd never believe."

"Yes. It does. You may not be my true love, but I'm sure you _do_ have one out there. You should go and find her. Everyone deserves to find their other half." Belle hugged Will, kissing his cheek again.

Will knew he couldn't change her mind. Here in Storybrooke, he was far away from his home in Wonderland. He doubted true love would ever find him here. But he reached into his pocket and felt something. It was the page he'd torn from a book the night he passed out in the library. It was faded, and it didn't quite capture the girl _he_ knew, but it was as close as he could come. He knew he would travel to the ends of Wonderland for her, the Red Queen. Because that's how true love works.

 **The End**


End file.
